Bay Leaf

Hello friends, HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY to all of you celebrating in the country and all across the globe. Coming back to the celebration, so we celebrated the holiday by inviting few of my cousins for dinner. It’s always a pleasure to have a family supper and specially when you family demands you to make couple of your bet recipes. That’s what happened last night as well. I was specially asked by my family to make one of my all time favorite recipe that come straight from the Bengali cuisine and is also one of the very popular and most loved Mutton preparation by the Bengalis. KOSHA MANGSHO aka BENGALI MUTTON KASHA is one hell of a recipe that you will always want to make whenever there is an occasion. Fresh goat meat cooked with potatoes in a rich ginger garlic gravy along with some tomatoes and curd in mustard oil is a recipe to keep. Particularly enjoyed with Luchi or Bengali style pulao, Kosha Mangsho is served to the royals in all special occasions.

To make Kosha mangsho firstly wash mutton in clean running water and keep aside. Then heat oil in a wok and fry potatoes till golden. Collect them aside. Now add dry red chilies, bay leaf, cinnamon stick and cloves in the oil. Add minced onion and fry till raw smell goes off. Now add in the ginger paste and the garlic paste and fry till brown in color and oil starts oozing. Add in the mutton pieces long with some turmeric powder and salt. Mix all and cook on high flames till all the moisture from the mutton evaporates. Meanwhile take curd in a bowl and add red chili powder, garam masala powder, black pepper powder. Mix well and keep aside. When the mutton is dry add chopped tomatoes and curd mix. Combine and cook on high flame for a minute. Simmer the gas flames, close the lid and let the mutton cook for 30 mins till the color changes and oil starts leaving the sides. Check salt and once the masala is ready, add around 1/2 a cup of warm water to make a thick gravy. Put the gas flame back on high and wait for the gravy to come to a boil. Close the lid again and simmer the gas and let the mutton cook till it’s tender. This might take 20-30 mins again depending on the quality of the meat so keep checking in intervals. Once the mutton is done, add fried potatoes and cook for another 5-6 mins till the potatoes are done. Sprinkle sugar, add chopped coriander and serve hot with luchi or rice.

When the mutton is dry add chopped tomatoes and curd mix. Combine and cook on high flame for a minute. Simmer the gas flames, close the lid and let the mutton cook for 30 mins till the color changes and oil starts leaving the sides.

Check salt and once the masala is ready, add around 1/2 a cup of warm water to make a thick gravy. Put the gas flame back on high and wait for the gravy to come to a boil.

Close the lid again and simmer the gas and let the mutton cook till it's tender. This might take 20-30 mins again depending on the quality of the meat so keep checking in intervals.

Once the mutton is done, add fried potatoes and cook for another 5-6 mins till the potatoes are done.

If you like this Bengali / Calcutta Style Mutton Curry recipe aka Kosha Manghso then try making at home and please your family and friends with your amazing cooking skills. Do share your feedback with me in comments below and also follow me on Instagram @spoonforkandfood . Tag me in your food pictures and i'll feature you on my IG story. Till then HAPPY COOKING!

Hyderabadi Baghara Baingan is a popular curry of Hyderabad, Telangana. Its a spicy eggplant curry made with curry leaves, sesame seeds, peanuts, grated coconut coconut, cumin seeds, ginger, garlic paste, turmeric powder, bay leaf and tamarind pulp particularly enjoyed with hot steamed rice. This dish is also very popular in Pakistan. It is also used as a side dish with the Hyderabadi biryani. The recipe comes from the Nizam’s of Hyderabad which was then religiously followed by the Muslims of the city and gradually adapted by the entire nation. Bhagar e baingan was introduced during Mughal Empire from Taskent, then became popular in Hyderabad.

To make this absolutely delicious eggplant curry all you need to do is firstly dry roast all the ingredients mentioned under the spice mix category. Allow them to cool in room temperature. Collect them in a grinder jar and grind well. Heat about 1/2 cup oil in a wok and gently fry the eggplants till they are glossy. Strain them and keep aside. In the same oil add bay leaf, curry leaves, mustard seeds and wait till they crackle. Now add fine chopped onions and fry till golden in color. Add ginger garlic paste and saute till raw smell goes off and oil starts oozing out. Now add the ground mixture and saute till the oil separates. Add the tamarind pulp, adjust salt, turmeric, red chili powder and mix well, and then add the eggplants. Carefully turn around a few times and then add water (around 3/4 cup), bring to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes. Your Hyderabadi Bhaghara Baigan is ready to sere with Rice or Roti.

Amritsari Chole is one of the finest Chick Pea recipe that comes from Punjabi Cuisine, specially from the Holy City of Amritsar. Boiled while chickpea is slow cooked and simmered with onion and tomatoes along with some handpicked spices that makes it a delectable curry served with soft and fluffy kulchas or bhatura. To make Amritsari Chole you first need to wash and soak chole over night or at least 7-8 hours till it rises and doubles. Add chole in a cooker along with salt, bay leaf, big cardamom, cinnamon stick and tea bags. Close the lid and pressure cook it till the chole softens. Collect the cooked chole in a bowl along with whole spices, discard the tea bags and keep aside. Heat oil in a wok and add chopped onions and green chilies, saute till the onions sweat and turns pink in color. Now add ginger garlic paste and fry till raw smell does off. Add in chopped tomatoes and saute till they ate mushy. Now add coriander powder, red chili powder, turmeric (optional), amchur powder and anardana powder and fry till oil starts leaving the sides. Now add cooked chole along with the water and mix well. Adjust salt again as per taste and let the curry boil. Simmer the gas and close the lid, let the chole cook for another few minutes till it thickens and oil starts oozing out. Sprinkle some garam masala powder and give a quick stir one last time. Turn off the gas and garnish with some fresh chopped coriander. You Amritsari Chole are good to go with Bhature, Kulcha, Puri or may be some plain rice.

Palak Paneer is one the most popular dishes in North India, a vegetarian dish rich in Iron and Protein. Palak paneer comes with the goodness of spinach and cottage cheese and is considered to be one of the finest paneer dishes in India.

Today i’m sharing my fool proof recipe that is certainly a show stopper in my house. The recipe is adapted from my mother and is now going to you. So do try out this creamy luscious Palak Paneer and share your thoughts on it with me in comments below.

To make creamy palak paneer you need to boil water in a pan and add 2 tbsp of milk in it. Adding milk cuts the sourness of spinach and gives a sweet texture. Blanch spinach leaves for 5-8 mins. Turn off the gas, strain and collect the blanched spinach in a bowl and let it cool. Now grind the blanched spinach to make a fine puree. Collect and keep aside. Heat oil in a pan and fry paneer cubes till light golden in color. Collect them all in a bowl and keep aside. In the same oil add bay leaf and cinnamon and just after 2-3 seconds add chopped onions and saute them till they sweat. Add ginger and garlic paste along with some chopped green chilies and fry till the raw smell goes off. Now add finely chopped tomatoes along with coriander powder, red chili powder and garam masala powder. Fry them all nicely till oil starts leaving the sides. Once the masala is nicely done and leaves a good aroma, add in the spinach puree and stir nicely so that everything incorporates well. You can add little water in the curry if you find it too thick, but eventually the spinach will thicken and take a creamy texture. Adjust salt and let the curry get a boil for 5 mins, simmer the gas and let it cook for another couple of minutes. Add in the fried paneer cubes and mix nicely.Turn off the gas and garnish the palak paneer with a swirl of fresh cream and serve hot with naan or chapati.

Boil water in a pan and add 2 tbsp of milk in it. Adding milk cuts the sourness of spinach and gives a sweet texture. Blanch spinach leaves for 5-8 mins. Turn off the gas, strain and collect the blanched spinach in a bowl and let it cool.

Now grind the blanched spinach to make a fine puree. Collect and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan and fry paneer cubes till light golden in color. Collect them all in a bowl and keep aside.

In the same oil add bay leaf and cinnamon and just after 2-3 seconds add chopped onions and saute them till they sweat.

Add ginger and garlic paste along with some chopped green chilies and fry till the raw smell goes off.

Rājmā is a popular Indian vegetarian dish consisting of red kidney beans in a thick gravy with many Indian whole spices and usually served with rice and roti. Although the kidney bean is not of Indian origin, it is a part of regular diet in Northern India. The dish developed after the red kidney bean was brought to India from Portugal . Being a popular dish, it is prepared on important occasions. About 100 grams of boiled Rajma beans contain 140 calories. 5.7 grams of protein, 9.0 grams of fat and nearly 17.8 grams of carbohydrate. Rajma chawal, i.e. Rajma served with both boiled rice, is a popular dish throughout northern India. Source – Wikipedia

The food that comes from the state of Punjab and is now a common favorite of every Indian. Me and my family can survive on Rajma Chawal all life. Believe me, it tastes the best next day. I made Rajma on Saturday for dinner and we had it the other day too. That thick silky gravy with soft and mushy rajma is simply out of this world. So let’s quickly proceed to see how i made this amazing, mouth watering Rajma Curry.

How to make this amazingly delicious Rajma Masala : Soak Rajma overnight in fresh water. Pressure cook them the next day in fresh water till soft and mushy. Do not throw the water as it will be used for cooking the gravy later. Heat oil in a wok and ad bay leaf. Now add ginger garlic paste and finely chopped onions. You can also grind onion coarsely before use. Saute them till golden in color. Now put finely chopped tomatoes or tomato puree. Stir and give a quick fry to all. Add coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder and cumin powder and mix well. Keep stirring to avoid the masala to get burnt. You can add little water from sides if you find the masala sticking the wok. Fry them all well till the raw smell of spices go off and you see the oil leaving from sides. Adjust oil if required. Now add the boiled rajma to the masala and give a quick stir again. Now add garam masala. You may add the same water in which the rajma was boiled to get that authentic flavor. If not, then add fresh water to the wok to make gravy as per your desired consistency. Give a boil to the gravy and then simmer the flames, close the lid and let the rajma cook for another 5-6 mins. Garnish the rajma curry with fresh chopped coriander. Serve Hot with Plain Steamed Rice

Soak Rajma overnight in fresh water. Pressure cook them the next day in fresh water till soft and mushy. Do not throw the water as it will be used for cooking the gravy later.

Heat oil in a wok and ad bay leaf. Now add ginger garlic paste and finely chopped onions. You can also grind onion coarsely before use. Saute them till golden in color.

Now put finely chopped tomatoes or tomato puree. Stir and give a quick fry to all.

Add coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder and cumin powder and mix well. Keep stirring to avoid the masala to get burnt. You can add little water from sides if you find the masala sticking the wok.

Fry them all well till the raw smell of spices go off and you see the oil leaving from sides. Adjust oil if required.

Now add the boiled rajma to the masala and give a quick stir again. Now add garam masala. You may add the same water in which the rajma was boiled to get that authentic flavor. If not, then add fresh water to the wok to make gravy as per your desired consistency.

Give a boil to the gravy and then simmer the flames, close the lid and let the rajma cook for another 5-6 mins.

Pilaf or Pulao is the best on pot meal that is not just filling but can also be made with variations as per liking. We often make pulao at home specially when there are sudden guests at home, pulao works as a savior. Make it with long grain Basmati rice or even your regular everyday rice , pulao brings out some real richness to your regular meal spread. Tam it with any of your favorite curry or jut enjoy it with raita and salad. And if you are a weight watcher like me then go for some Brown Rice Pulao. Well it’s a myth that brown rice takes time to cook and equally takes time to digest. Dawat Long Grain Brown Rice cooks really fast and is easy to digest too. I have adapted Brown rice in my daily meal and trust me it’s worth all the pain. Just soak the rice in ample amount of water almost an hour before cooking and see the magic. You not just get a healthy pot of goodness but some real long grain , non sticky pilaf as well.

Today i’m sharing the most easy recipe of Brown rice veg pulao that is made in pressure cooker and gets ready in no time. Pair it with some nice thick onion raita and enjoy your guilt free meal. Check out the recipe below and do share your feedback with me in comments. Would love to hear your variations too.

To make Brown Rice Pilaf take a broad faced pressure cooker (preferably non stick) and heat oil in it. Add whole spices and wait till they crackle. Now add sliced onions and saute till they sweat. Add ginger garlic paste and saute till brown and the raw smell goes off. Now add the vegetables and green chilies and fry them nicely for 7-8 minutes on high to medium flames. Meanwhile drain out the excess water from the soaked brown rice and one the vegetables are fried add the soaked rice into it. Now add coriander powder and curd in the rice and fry them all till the moisture from the rice evaporates and the rice looks crisp and fried. Add salt as needed and warm water till the surface of the rice. Dip your index finger, the water level should be 1 inch from the surface of the rice. Close the lid and cook till two whistles and turn off the flames. Let the pressure from the cooker release completely, and now open the lid carefully and add some ghee on top of the rice along with fresh chopped coriander. Wait for 5 mins till the steam gets off a little more and then serve the brown rice pilaf hot along with your favorite curry/raita/salad.

Biryani is a very complex dish, it requires a eyeballing of ingredients and perfect hands on technique. They say the more complex a Biryani is, the more delicious it tastes! In India we have a huge variety of Biryani that is prepared in both veg and non veg version. The non vegetarians though have more choices as in Fish, prawn, crab, chicken, beef, mutton, pork etc. And technically there is no such authentic recipe for Veg Biryani. Vegtable Biryani eveolved with time looking into the need of Biryani treat for the vegetarians. But i’m glad that the evolution turned out to be equally delicious than a chicken or a mutton biryani.

An equally complex recipe that requires a variety of colorful vegetables cooked exactly the way a non veg Biryani is made. Yakhni goes with semi cooked rice to cook on dum is a rich and flavorful recipe that leaves your guest licking their fingers. Best served with Burani or onion and mint raita along with some onion salad, this Biryani recipe will surely make you a star in your kitchen.

Styled on the beautiful tray and slate board gifted by Better Butter and Madras Prop Store, check out the detailed recipe below and do try making at home and share your feedback with me in comments below.

Wash and soak rice in fresh clean water for 45 mins before cooking. Now take enough water (double the quantity of rice) in a thick bottomed pan and add rice along with 1 stick cinnamon, few black pepper and cloves, salt and 2 tbsp ghee. Cook rice till it’s 80% cooked. Strain water and collect the rice in another flat bottomed tray and keep aside. Heat ghee in a thick bottomed pan or handi and add 2 sliced onions and fry till golden in color. Collect the fried onions in a plate and keep aside. In the remaining ghee add whole spices and wait till they splutter. Make sure they don’t burn. Now add rest 2 sliced onions and fry till they sweat. Add in the ginger and garlic paste along with some slit green chilies and fry till golden in color. Now add in the fresh cut vegetables and mix well to fry. Meanwhile take 1 cup of curd and add coriander powder and red chili powder in it and make a smooth paste. Pour in the prepared curd mix into the vegetables and mix well. The curd will start leaving water from sides so don’t add extra water in the pan to cook the vegetables. Adjust salt as per taste and Fry the vegetables with curd mix on high flames till the ghee starts leaving out from the sides. Once the vegetables are partially cooked, let’s start layering the biryani and keep it on dum. Take a thick bottomed handi or pan in which you want to cook the final biryani. Spread around 2-3 tbsp of fresh curd on the bottom of the pan, This wont stick the rice on the surface. Divide the cooked rice into three portions, and spread the first portion of rice in the bottom of the pan. Now take the left over curd and spread it all over the first layer of rice. Now again spread the second portion of rice evenly and then add the cooked vegetable yakhni on top of the second layer of rice. Lastly spread the third portion of rice all over the yakhni covering it completely. Whisk fresh cream or home made malai in a bowl and spread all over the last layer of rice. Now top the biryani with fried onions, finely chopped mint and coriander and some green chilies. Sprinkle some lemon juice all over (optional) and spread saffron soaked milk on top. Take the wheat flour dough and make a thick ribbon out of it and place it on the rim of the pan/handi and close the lid of the handi pressing it gently such that the dough seals the hand completely from all sides. Place a heavy bowl or “sil batta” on the top of the handi to ensure the aroma is intact. Let the Biryani cook on dum for next 30 mins or till the dough is cooked and gets hard. Now open the lid carefully and mix the biryani from one side. Serve hot with onion and mint raita along with some salad and enjoy!

Now take enough water (double the quantity of rice) in a thick bottomed pan and add rice along with 1 stick cinnamon, few black pepper and cloves, salt and 2 tbsp ghee. Cook rice till it's 80% cooked.

Strain water and collect the rice in another flat bottomed tray and keep aside.

For making Vegetable Yakhni :

Heat ghee in a thick bottomed pan or handi and add 2 sliced onions and fry till golden in color. Collect the fried onions in a plate and keep aside.

In the remaining ghee add whole spices and wait till they splutter. Make sure they don't burn.

Now add rest 2 sliced onions and fry till they sweat.

Ad in the ginger and garlic paste along with some slit green chilies and fry till golden in color.

Now add in the fresh cut vegetables and mix well to fry.

Meanwhile take 1 cup of curd and add coriander powder and red chili powder in it and make a smooth paste.

Pour in the prepared curd mix into the vegetables and mix well. The curd will start leaving water from sides so don't add extra water in the pan to cook the vegetables.

Adjust salt as per taste and Fry the vegetables with curd mix on high flames till the ghee starts leaving out from the sides.

Once the vegetables are partially cooked, let's start layering the biryani and keep it on dum.

For Layering Biryani :

Take a thick bottomed handi or pan in which you want to cook the final biryani.

Spread around 2-3 tbsp of fresh curd on the bottom of the pan, This wont stick the rice on the surface.

Divide the cooked rice into three portions, and spread the first portion of rice in the bottom of the pan.

Now take the left over curd and spread it all over the first layer of rice.

Now again spread the second portion of rice evenly and then add the cooked vegetable yakhni on top of the second layer of rice.

Lastly spread the third portion of rice all over the yakhni covering it completely.

Whisk fresh cream or home made malai in a bowl and spread all over the last layer of rice.

Now top the biryani with fried onions, finely chopped mint and coriander and some green chilies.

Sprinkle some lemon juice all over (optional) and spread saffron soaked milk on top.

Take the wheat flour dough and make a thik ribbon out of it and place it on the rim of the pan/handi and close the lid of the handi pressing it gently such that the dough seals the hand completely from all sides.

Place a heavy bowl or sil batta on the top of the handi to ensure the aroma is intact.

Let the Biryani cook on dum for next 30 mins or till the dough is cooked and gets hard.

Now open the lid carefully and mix the biryani from one side.

Serve hot with onion and mint raita along with some salad and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

I hope you liked the Vegetable Dum Biryani recipe. Do try making at home this weekend and share your pictures and feedback with me in comments below. Happy Cooking!

Badami Mutton Kofta is Spicy, Flavorful, Aromatic Mutton Koftas dunked in a creamy Almond Curry, just to make your weekend dinner more special and lavish. Ideal party menu to impress your special guests on special occasions. So with the festivities arriving, make this spectacular Badama Mutton Koftas and make your celebrations more exciting with a royal feast.

I have used minced mutton to make these koftas as it’s easy to grind. But you can always use mutton pieces without bones. Sharing the detailed recipe below , try it, share it and let me know your experience in comments below.

Ingredients Needed For Mutton Kofta :

700gramsMinced Mutton or Boneless Mutton

3/4cupDry roasted Gram FlourRoasted Chana Powder

1mediumonionfine chopped

2Green Chiliesfine chopped

1.5tspGinger Paste

1.5tspGarlic Paste

2tbspChopped Corianderfine chopped

2tbspmint leavesfine chopped

1tspGaram Masala Powder

1tspRed Chili Powder

saltto taste

Ingredients Needed For Badami Curry :

4largeOnionsthin sliced

2-3tbspGinger Paste

2-3tbspGarlic Paste

5-6Green Chiliesslit

1cupAlmondsblanched

2tbspDry Coconut/ Khopragrated

1cupThick Curdwhisked

3/4cupOiladjustble

2-3tbspCoriander Powder

2tbspRed Chili Powder

1tspGaram Masala Powder

5-6Fresh Mint leaveschopped

2sprigcorianderchopped

saltto taste

Whole Spice :

2Bay Leaf

2Big Cardamom

4 Green Cardamom

2inchCinnamon Stick

5Cloves

5black pepper

1tspmacecrushed

1tspCaraway seeds/ Shahi jeera

How to make Mutton Kofta :

Wash mutton mince nicely under running water. Strain and keep aside till dry. Take a grinder jar with sharp blades and add mutton mince in it along with ginger garlic paste, mint leaves, coriander and grin to make a thick smooth and stick paste. Collect in a bowl and add rest of the other ingredients along with roasted chana powder and mix well nicely till everything incorporates well and makes a dough. Slightly wet your hands and pinch a lemon sized portion from the dough and roll to make a smooth ball. Make more kofta balls out of the remaining dough and collect them all in a plate and keep aside. Heat around 1/2 cup oil in a non stick wok and when the oil is hot carefully slide in the kofta balls (4-5 at a time) and gry till golden brown from all sides. Collect the fried koftas on a kitchen napkin lined tray so that it soaks excess oil.

How to make Almond Curry :

In the same wok, add some more oil and heat nicely. Add sliced onions and fry them till golden in color and collect in a bowl. Once the fried onions are cool, grind to make a fine paste and keep aside. In the remaining oil, add whole spices and wait till they crackle up. Now add ginger garlic paste, green chilies and fry till golden. Add coriander powder, red chili powder, garam masala powder, khopra, almond paste and fry till oil starts leaving from the sides. Now add fried onion paste and whisked curd, stir well to incorporate everything and fry for another 10 minutes on low flame. Add water to the curry as needed and adjust salt as per your taste. Bring it to boil and then carefully drop in the fried koftas and let it cook for 20 mins in low flames with lid closed. Once the koftas are cooked well, add in a tea spoon of ghee for aroma and turn off the gas. Add some fresh chopped mint and coriander and garnish with some sliced almonds. Serve hot with Roomali Roti or Rice.

Now add fried onion paste and whisked curd, stir well to incorporate everything and fry for another 10 minutes on low flame.

Add water to the curry as needed and adjust salt as per your taste. Bring it to boil and then carefully drop in the fried koftas and let it cook for 20 mins in low flames with lid closed.

Once the koftas are cooked well, add in a tea spoon of ghee for aroma and turn off the gas.

Add some fresh chopped mint and coriander and garnish with some sliced almonds.

Serve hot with Roomali Roti or Rice.

Recipe Notes

If you liked this amazingly delicious recipe, then try making at home on any special occasion or weekends and enjoy with family and friends. Share your views in comments below and let me know how was it 🙂

Spoon Fork And Food is PR friendly and we know the importance of brands and their collaboration that benefits the bloggers in all means. But their are some brands that commercialize not for themselves but for the welfare of the farmers as well from where they source the products. One such amazing organization is EKGAON. Recently my blog collaborated with EKGAON and took a step ahead in contributing a small part for the well being for the farmers. An initiative that costs you reasonable as compared to the retail stores and you get some standardized food product that comes directly from the farmers. Great packaging at low price, EKGAON brings you raw ingredients as well as ready to eat snacks too. My first product from EKGAON out of many was RAGI MILLET which i used to make Sprouted Ragi Cutlets , following the same today i’m going to talk about their Unpolished Urad Dal (Chilke wali Urad Dal) . A 1kg pack that costs only a Rs.219, tax inclusive arrives at your door step in just 2-3 working days. Clean, dust free, zero impurities with a state of art packaging. Every purchase you do, a healthy percentage goes to the farmers too.

Who Is EkGaon ?

EKGAON is leading social enterprise in India that works with a vast range of bio-diverse community-based organic/natural food products using sustainable, equitable and ethical principles. They painstakingly curate our products by exploring, discovering and extracting/growing abundant food variety and thus restoring the forgotten food-diversity through traditional techniques. They use state of the art technology, tools to connect to more then 20,000 farmers and over 20 artisan-producer organisations to bring over 100 premium food products to markets, ensuring quality assurance across the value chain. India’s rich culture and its bio-diversity creates a magic known as Indian food globally. Drawing inspiration from India’s 5000 years old agrarian traditions and its food-diversity, EKGAON has created the ‘One Village One World Network’ across 10,000 villages over 13 years. This network prides itself in respecting and nurturing India’s traditional knowledge, its indigenous wisdom and its spiritual principles that guide food habits across its diverse regions. EKGAON network works across agricultural value chains from production, processing to distribution in order to bring unique products from community-based enterprises. These products include organic produce, desi-pulses, rare-herbs, spices and staples to markets.

So my second product from EKGAON is Unpolished Desi Urad Dal – Split with skin Black Gram You can order your purchase here

Black Gram is most well-known and high nutritional bean. It has its origins in Southern Asia, specifically India where it has been grown for thousands of years. This particular gram belongs to bean family, just like the mung bean species. This is typically referred to as Urad Dal and is consumed by people in nearly every corner of the nation as an essential part of their daily meal. Urad dal is healthier compared to almost every other beans available for sale. It may be consumed daily since it has many incredible qualities that are good for health. Black gram is a healthy pulse since it has high iron content. This can help increase the energy levels within the body and keep you active. This is particularly important for women going through menstruation when they have a greater possibility of iron deficiency. Consuming urad dal frequently helps boost your energy considerably since it creates the body’s iron stores.

Crop Variety : Artisanal
Place of Origin : Mandla, Madhya Pradesh

Ingredients :

1cupurad dalSplit With Skin

2cupswater

2largeTomatoesroughly chopped

1mediumonionroughly chopped

1tspGinger Paste

1tspGarlic Paste

4tbspGhee / Clarified Butter

2Green Chilieschopped

Seasoning :

1tspRed Chili Powder

1/2tspTurmeric Powder

1-2tspCoriander Powder

1tspGaram Masala Powder

saltto taste

Whole Spice :

2Bay Leaf

4Cloves

4-5pepper

2Dry red chilies

Garnish :

1-2tbspfresh cream

Fresh Corianderfine chopped

Tempering (optional) :

1tspOil/Ghee

1tspMustard/ Cumin Seeds

2clovesgarlicfine chopped

1/2tspHing/ Asafoetida

Method :

As i’m using Ekgaon product hence the dal is clean, but if you get the lentil from any other store then make sure you clean it once before you start cooking. So now when you are ready with the day, heat a pan and dry roast the dal till you smell the aroma. Collect the dal and let it cool. Now wash dal in running water and add in pressure cooker along with chopped tomatoes, garlic paste, ginger paste, onion, whole spices and seasoning. Add around 2 cups of water and pressure cook til 4-5 whistles or till the dal is soft and cooked. Let the steam release by itself and then open the lid. Gently stir the dal with a ladle and check salt. Add tempering if you want or else garnish the dal with fresh cream and fine chopped coriander. Add ghee generously and serve hot with roti or rice.

Among few prestigious projects i am working for, SPRIG gourmet happens to be one. SPRIG is one of the very popular suppliers who present you and array of gourmet ingredients that will be a pride of your kitchen. As they say the love for food is the combination of good looks, great taste and unbeatable flavor ; but a meal prepared with the right ingredients, with love, is a celebration. SPRIG is a brand that scours the world to get the finest gourmet ingredients into kitchens of people who pride themselves in preparing good food. SPRIGmakes its debut just when a shrinking world expands people’s appetite for global cuisine. It’s not just chefs but even homemakers are serving up Chinese, Thai, Malay, Mexican, British, Italian and a host of other cuisine. But specialty food also needs special ingredients, that are not readily available. SPRIG sits proudly on gourmet shelves in premium packaging from all over the world. Elegant handmade Italian glass bottles, tiny little Spriggle jars, premium aluminium tubes with a silky smooth finish, give you a hint of the exquisite products inside. So, the next time you’re looking for the finest vanilla beans from Madagascar or the world’s finest black pepper grown closer home in Tellicherry, just look up SPRIG and amaze yourself with our beautiful collection from across the world.

Marigold Yellow , Spinach Green , Paprika Orange – All Natural Color Extracts : These extracts are entirely from edible pigments, naturally occurring in fruits, flowers, leaves and roots and are hence rich in active super-nutrients like bioflavonoids, polyphenols and other antioxidants, making them not only a visual treat but also a wholesome addition to every family’s diet. You can get creative with these fresh colors to liven up your marinades, salad dressings, sauces, icing, desserts, milkshakes and ice-creams. In fact, our food colors can even make you those picture postcard cocktails that you only see in fancy recipe books. In sum, good food never looked better.

Usage: Unscrew cap and squeeze bottle adding color drop by drop to obtain desired shade. Stir well. You may blend colors to obtain additional colors. As a thumb rule, one drop will be good to color about one cup of milk. (1-2% in a solution). It’s best to add colors just before use. Natural colors are sensitive to heat, light and food with high levels of acidity.

Ask any chef, and he’d say – we first eat with our eyes. And colors play a very significant role in this visual feasting. Bright yellow hues, fresh greens and passionate reds, all conspire to get our taste buds rolling into action! But, one apprehension we all have with food colors are their synthetic contents. That’s precisely why we at SPRIG have discovered All Natural Extracts – Food and Beverage Colors. Add SPRIG Spinach Green to your homemade creations to bring out a beautiful fresh green hue in your food, this vividly stunning color is all natural and is extracted from spinach leaves. Paprika Orange bring out a beautiful red-orange hue in your food and this vividly stunning color is all natural and is extracted from sweet paprika and Marigold Yellow bring out a beautiful bright yellow hue in your food which is all natural and is extracted from marigold petals.

Today i made Tri Color Zarda Pulav using SPRIG All Natural Food Colors, as i was asked to prepare a dessert that signifies Muslim culture, food and festivities. Zarda Pulao is Basmati rice cooked in sugar syrup with mild spices and dry fruits or nuts as a topping. Zarda Pulao is most commonly made during Eid or Ramadan celebrations and it goes along best with Dum Biryani. Using this all natural food color extracted from natural ingredients, make your food look more appealing visually and surprise your guests, friends and family with your culinary skills. You can serve this tri color zarda pulao in a bowl or even layer it as a parfait.

Sharing the recipe below, try making at home and do share your feedback with me.

Zarda is a typical sweet rice dessert from Mughal cuisine, that is often made in Muslim homes specially when there is Biryani in the menu. Tri colored sweet rice loaded with lots of fried nuts and dry fruits is a delightful dessert.

Method :

Wash rise in running water till water appears clear. Soak the rice for 40-45 mins before cooking. Heat water in a large vessel, the water measurement should be double the rice. Once the water starts heating , add soaked rice along with green cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaf. When the rice starts cooking add 1 tsp of ghee and saffron and cook the rice till 90% done. Turn off the gas and pass the rice through a colander to drain water. Collect the rice and spread on a wide tray so that they don’t stick to each other. Meanwhile fry the dry fruits in ghee, keep aside. Heat 1 cup water in a wok and once it starts boiling add sugar and boil til sugar melts and starts to thicken slightly. Simmer the gas and add the cooked rice in the syrup and mix gently. Let the rice cook in medium to high flame till everything starts drying up. Add ghee and mix well, this will avoid the stickiness. Once the rice is done turn off the gas and divide it into three equal parts and in each part add 2-3 drops of SPRIG All Natural Color Extract, Spinach green, Marigold Yellow and Paprika Red. Mix the colored rice individually in separate bowls till the color spreads evenly. Add the fried nuts and raisins in the rice and give a quick toss. Garnish with some grated coconut and slivered Almonds. Serve warm!

Follow Me On

Hey All !!!

Hi, I'm Shaheen, born and raised in a gastronomic family where every conversation revolves around food and cooking is most relied on approximation and eyeballing the ingredients or ratios and proportions for measurements. A die heart foodie and a physiotherapist by profession, I came into blogging with a motive to pen down my experience of learning and refining in the journey with food from home and the world beyond, from street food to the fine dining, from mom's recipes to Chef's talk. Spoon Fork And Food was created on a lazy summer afternoon in the fall of 2014 in an effort to keep my sanity in check. This blog is a collection of good food and fond memories that remind me of my mum's home cooked food, those that transport me to distant moments of childhood or shared happy times with loved ones, friends and family. Recipes here are a reflection of me, my roots, who I was, who I am and who I will be as I evolve with the foods I discover, embrace and make them my own!